Elisabeth Tova Bailey, author of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (an office favorite), spoke with NPR “Weekend Edition Saturday” host Scott Simon about her illness, her ongoing recovery, and the benefits of slowing down to a “snail’s pace.” You can listen to the interview here and read an excerpt from The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating here.
Posts tagged with NPR
Bill Alexander had a fantastic interview on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show yesterday, discussing his new book 52 LOAVES. You can listen to the interview, read the comments, and check out his recipe for peasant bread here.
52 LOAVES was also reviewed on the food blog Chocolate & Zucchini. They called it “An engaging and instructive read with great rhythm.” You can read the whole review here.
Wednesday, NPR’s All Things Considered did a feature on Heidi Durrow and her book The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. The piece is called “Reimagining The ‘Tragic Mulatto’” and discusses the novel, Durrow’s roots, and the social implications of being of mixed-racial descent in the U.S. today.
I’ve decided that I would like Heidi Durrow to be my best friend, please. She’s smart. She’s glamorous. And she wrote this novel, called The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, that’s pretty much shaking the book-world by the shoulders.
Here’s the deal with Durrow:
1. She’s done a little bit of everything. In this interview, with Bookreporter, she talks about her days as a journalist and a lawyer and a greeting-card writer and an author…and a pro sports consultant. Love it.
2. She’s NPR approved (and you know how I feel about NPR). In the car or on your computer or with that enormous boom box you have left over from ’89–Listen TONIGHT between 4 pm and 6 pm!
3. She blogs. I know that doesn’t automatically make a person endearing (in my experience, it’s often the opposite), but she’s just the coolest. She writes about American Idol and the inspiration for her writing and important current events–check it out.
4. She tours. Like a rock star. Catch up with her in two weeks at the Virginia Festival of the Book or find a reading near you! Along those same lines, you can buy The Girl Who Fell From The Sky on iTunes.
So if anybody wants to start a fan club with me, I’m having t-shirts made on Thursday.
-Susannah
Monday, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on NPR’s All Things Considered, host Michele Norris will be interviewing Heidi Durrow on her new book, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. So, while you’re driving home or making dinner or digging trenches (or doing whatever you do in the early evening), be sure to tune it for an audio treat.
Segue: SPEAKING OF NPR, I just love it. If you’re ever in the car, listening to mindless radio, and that Lady Gaga song comes on again, just make the change. Do something good for yourself. And that’s my Public Radio PSA.
Need a warm-up before Monday? Jill McCorkle was recently featured on North Carolina’s public radio station, reading from her collection of short stories, Going Away Shoes. Listen here!
-Susannah
Heidi Durrow‘s The Girl Who Fell From The Sky is featured this week on NPR’s What We’re Reading.
See, there’s this librarian. And a bird-watching boy. And a strange man with a harmonica and a roof-top pigeon keeper. There’s a glamorous aunt and her philanthropic boyfriend. There’s a desperate little family and a desperate little act. There’s also a survivor. Her name is Rachel. Rachel is growing up in the 1980s, haunted by her heritage (a black father and a Danish mother), as well as secrets she’s folded into her own history. The narrative weaves these lives and mysteries together effortlessly. Durrow tells this story in surround-sound, allowing the reader to step up and peek through the eyes of each character.
Shannon Rhoades, supervising senior editor at NPR’s “Morning Edition,” says:
“The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is the most recent recipient of the Bellwether Prize. Founded (and funded) by author Barbara Kingsolver, the award promotes ‘socially responsible literature.’ While that sounds slightly medicinal, this book is anything but. Rachel’s voice resonated in my reading mind in much the same way as did that of the young protagonist of The House on Mango Street. There’s an achingly honest quality to it; both wise and naive, it makes you want to step between the pages to lend comfort.”
We’re so glad the good people at NPR love this book! We love it too! We’re so sure that you’re going to love it that we’d like to share a little sample with you. Don’t shove, there’s plenty for everyone.
Algonquin Books Blog
Books for a well-read life.
